


Paramour (ongoing)

by fanficsfixfans



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Age Difference, Anal Sex, Bi!Rhett, Boss/Employee Relationship, Cheating, Hand Jobs, Infidelity, Light BDSM, Multi, Name-Calling, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Porn With Plot, Rimming, Spanking, Teabagging, Threesome - F/M/M, Voyeurism, bi!Link, present day, rhink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-06-25 07:13:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19740790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanficsfixfans/pseuds/fanficsfixfans
Summary: The dream of working for Rhett & Link became true for a mythical beast as she landed a job as a writer for GMM. What she didn’t know is that her bosses will also make her other dreams come true.





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is probably the most sinful fic I've ever written but my mind kept telling me to pour all my ideas out!  
> To make your reading experience better, I added some hyperlinks within the story that will take you to music that you should listen to while reading certain parts.  
> Now get readin'!  
> Enjoy ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is my first serial fic and probably the most sinful one I’ve ever written but my mind won’t stop telling me to write it so here it is!  
> I’ve added some hyperlinks within some parts of the story that will take you to music that I think adds to the scenes.  
> Now, get reading and enjoy :)

It has been a wild 2 years since I’ve been a part of Mythical.

The idea of working for my idols, Rhett & Link, still seems so crazy to me.

They have been extremely good bosses to me and everyone knew, including me, that they treated me as someone special.

Everyone thought that they grew fond of me because they thought that they loved me like I was their daughter.

But, they were wrong.

.

.

.

** Very wrong. **

* * *

2 years ago

“Hey, you okay?” my best friend asked me.

“Well, I’m nervous bestie. I applied for a position in a company where my bosses are my idols! Stevie even asked me if I was a fan of their show and I said yes and I don’t even know if they’d accept me because of that!” I said with utmost trepidation.

“Just breathe in, sister,” my best friend told me while she tried to calm me down by patting my back.

_Inhale… Exhale…_

“That’s better.” Just when I started to feel calmer, my phone suddenly rang.

“I think it’s them!” I panicked.

“Okay, go ahead and answer! Just be cool.”

I flashed a smile and answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hello, may I speak to Ula?” the familiar voice asked.

“Who is it?” my best friend mouthed.

“It’s Jen!” I mouthed back. “This is Ula speaking.”

“Hi, Ula! I would just like to inform you that you are now one of the writers for Mythical Entertainment. Congratulations!” Jen happily said.

I nodded my head, hiding my happiness so that my best friend wouldn’t immediately know if I got accepted or not.

“Oh, thank you.”

“You will be starting next week, Monday. See you.”

“See you,” I ended the phone call softly so that my best friend wouldn’t hear.

“So?” my best friend asked, waiting for my response.

“I’m part of the crew!”

...

The weekend was over and it was finally Monday. My first freaking day at Mythical! I went through my usual morning routine but I took way more time picking an outfit than I usually do. I gotta look good for my first day! After several minutes, I settled on something that's not too casual but not too formal either. It just seemed right considering they are serious about the show but at the same time they don't seem to take themselves too seriously. I checked my bag if I forgot anything important before heading outside and locking my apartment. I hopped in my car and to my delight; the radio started playing [one of my favorite songs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL548cHH3OY).  _Could this day get any better?_ I drove off and sang along to the jam that was blasting throughout my car.

> _ Counting all different ideas drifting away _
> 
> _ Past and present, they don't matter. _
> 
> _ Now the future's sorted out _
> 
> _ Watch, you're moving in elliptical pattern _
> 
> _ Think it's not what you say _
> 
> _ What you say is way too complicated _
> 
> _ For a minute thought I couldn't tell how to fall out. _
> 
> _ It's twenty seconds 'til the last call, going "hey hey hey hey hey hey" _
> 
> _ Lie down, you know it's easy like we did it all summer long _
> 
> _ And I'll be anything you ask and more, going "hey hey hey hey hey hey" _
> 
> _ It's not a miracle we needed, and no I wouldn't let you think so _
> 
> _ Fold it, fold it, fold it, fold it _
> 
> _ Fold it, fold it, fold it, fold it _

I was feeling so good that when I was waiting for the light to go green, I rolled my window down and greeted the stranger from the car parallel to mine. Just sharing some good vibes! A few songs later, I finally arrived at my new workplace. 

Mythical. The sight of the glowing sign gave me a rush of excitement. As I entered the office, I was welcomed by Ellie.

“Hi, you must be Ula. I’m Ellie,” she introduced and shook my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Ellie,” I said with a smile.

“Since this is your first day, I will show you around so that you’d know what’s going on in here.”

As much as I wanted to admire everything that I was seeing, I wanted to tone my mythical beastliness a bit and followed Ellie casually. I met the crew in their different offices and Ellie explained what their role is in Mythical.

“And now this is where everything is filmed,” she gestured towards the set.

“Cool.”

There were a lot of people who were there just to make sure everything was right: various lights and cameras from different angles, microphones that are being checked, hands that cued some signals, brushes that made the two stars look prettier than they already are and of course, the stars themselves, who said and did the most absurd of things just so that they can entertain their audience.

“You can watch them for a while if you want. I just have to leave you for a minute and I’ll be back,” Ellie said and walked so quickly that I didn’t get to reply to her.

“It must’ve been urgent,” I whispered to myself.

Rhett’s expression suddenly changed when my eyes met his. The world seemingly stopped for a second. I couldn’t believe that I have finally seen them up close and personal and that I’d be seeing them and working with them every day.

“Hey, everyone. We got a new crew member here,” Rhett said enthusiastically and heads turned my way.

“Oh hi there. It’s Ula, right?” Link asked.

“Yes, my name is Ula,” I gladly replied.

Everyone greeted me and Rhett & Link themselves introduced the crew that was there one by one until Ellie came back.

“Oh, I see that you got to know everyone already. Now, on to our last stop where you will be spending most of your days. Welcome to the land of white boards and sticky notes,” Ellie said as she opened the door to the writers’ office. Ellie wasn’t kidding, the white board was full of lists and ideas and sticky notes made the room even more colorful. Everything was an organized mess.

“Hi! You must be the new writer. I’m Emily.”

After Emily greeted me, the other writers also gave themselves a friendly introduction.

“Okay. Here’s your desk, Ula and after you’ve set all your stuff, just call my name. I’m just a few desks away.” Ellie said as she guided me towards my desk that was beside Christine’s.

_ Something for me? What could it be? _

I was so curious and excited with whatever that  something was that I tried to finish putting my stuff up as fast as I could but still, I double-checked and made some changes so that everything would look great and organized.

“Hey Ellie! I’m done!” As soon as I shouted, everyone started sitting on the floor, creating a circle and leaving some space for me.

“Come here,” Ellie said as I sat between her and Emily. “What’s going on?” I asked, utterly confused.

“Explaining it to you would be no fun. Besides, you’ll figure it out,” Jordan replied. “Alright then,” I replied, just going with whatever was happening.

As if I wasn’t already confused enough, the lights went out and the room was only lit by a circle of candles. [Eerie, ambient music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuNgnC25k5w) started playing and added to the ominous atmosphere.

“Uhh, guys?”

_Holy crap, are they gone? Where are they? Am I going to be sacrificed to the devil or something? What on earth is going on?_

“Ula,” a familiar voice called. I know who it is and I know he’s trying to make himself sound creepier.

“Jordan, what is this? Some initiation rite?” I blurted out.

“Oh, but this isn’t just any initiation rite, Ula. This is a mythical one,” he explained and emerged from the shadows while wearing a black robe and holding an LED candle near his face. One by one, they appeared from the darkness as they flashed their LED candles on their faces after one had finished their line.

“And something that you will never ever forget,” Christine followed.

“Something that may scar you for life,” Matt then threateningly said.

“But knowing that you passed the first trial, we know that you will surpass this challenge,” Kevin said.

“To finally prove yourself that you’re one of us,” William stated.

“To prove that you are in fact, a Mythicalis Writerus,” Jordan followed.

“So is that a Harry Potter spell or is that some sort of rare disease?” I asked facetiously.

“More like a species but now that I think of it, it does sound like a disease,” Jordan replied, breaking his character for a moment. “But you may be wondering, what is this challenge that you must do?” Jordan returned speaking with his creepy voice again.

“Well, your fate lies within this wheel,” Emily pointed to the wheel while the others shone a flashlight toward it. “As you can see, it contains pictures of some of the grossest food that have been consumed by our masters and we know that you’re well-aware of these and so you must spin it and whatever it lands on, you must consume,” Emily explained.

“Okay then. Let’s do this,” I said and confidently walked in front of the wheel.

“Wait, you’re not scared of this at all?” Jordan asked.

“What? No. As long as it’s cooked properly or rather, boiled for safety, I’m gonna be fine. I think,” I replied, slowly losing confidence as I finished my sentence.

“Well, alright then. Spin the wheel.”

As I headed towards the wheel, I took deep breaths as my heart started pounding louder and louder. I started examining my options but stopped myself as it would certainly add to the element of surprise. With a trembling hand, I spun the wheel and the room was filled with a noisy clattering sound.As the wheel started slowing down, I started noticing the choices of food that was on the wheel.

_ There’s a pepper in there? That’s not gross; that’s deadly! _

Suddenly, the wheel stopped and I could not help but feel relieved.

“You have to eat  balut , which is duck embryo. It was also ranked as the grossest food in a GMM episode,” Emily explained while Josh casually handed me a plate of  balut .

_Anything other than the pepper is good, or at least tolerable._

“Oh hi Josh,” I greeted as soon as I saw him walking.

“Hi Ula,” he nicely greeted back and left the room with all the other food that was on the wheel.

“Now, you must fully consume what fate has chosen for you,” Jordan said.

“The whole thing? Okay then,” I said, sounding defeated.

It doesn’t look that bad. Yeah, there’s an underdeveloped duck in there but at least it’s still duck and I can eat duck.

I removed the delicacy’s shell and took a careful bite of the yolk and to my surprise, I actually liked it.

“Hey, it ain’t that bad. A bit more salt and it’d be probably good,” I said, surprising most of the crew.

“Are you serious?” Ellie exclaimed.

“Yeah, but I guess you can never wrong with yolk.”

After I consumed the yolk, I consumed the part that was hard to bite into but tasted like nothing and of course, the embryo.

“I’m so sorry, little duckie,” I apologized as I put the remaining piece of the  balut in my mouth. I heard some expressions of disgust as I crushed and crushed the body of an unborn duckling with my teeth. After several chews, I finally swallowed and said, “Well, it’s feathery but once you get past it, it’s actually quite tasty.”

“What? Really?” Emily reacted.

“Wait, have you had this before?” Jordan asked.

“No. I thought I’d be grossed out too but I wasn’t.”

“You are weird,” Jordan said.

“Thank you. So, have I passed now?”

“Well, considering your reaction earlier, you indeed proved yourself to not just be a Mythicalis Writerus, but a psychopathic Mythicalis Writerus. Congratulations,” Jordan joked and made some of us chuckle.

The lights were back on and everyone removed their cultist get-up and props and kept them at a closet in the corner of the office.

“Okay, back to work now. Ula, since it’s your first day, I’ll be showing you the ropes,” Ellie said.

.

.

.

It was so fascinating, meeting the minds behind the show that have basically taken over my life and now, I’m one of them.

** It's a dream come true. **


	2. Ula

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will mostly be about Ula so that you could know her better. Also, this is inspired by GMM #1500 and the GMMore for that episode so I recommend re-watching it :)

One month in and we’re nearing the 1500th episode and that means that it won’t just be like another episode.It has to be special.

“Guys, meeting in the White House now!” Ellie commanded.

The White House is the part of the office filled with things that are, you guessed it, white. White boards, white shelves, white chairs and white papers. It’s the whitest part of the office until of course, we have to combine our brain power to pour all of the best ideas out. As soon as everyone heard Ellie’s command, clicks and clacks were heard all over the place as we all tried to save our work in our computers and rushed towards the pristine place.

“Something big is coming up. D’you know what that is?”

“GMM fifteen-hundred!” I replied, a bit too enthusiastically.

“That’s right, Ula! So, any ideas?” Ellie asked, matching my level of enthusiasm.

"Well, we could just stick with doing something with 1,500 pieces of something," Christine suggested that made Ellie nod, acknowledging that the idea was just alright.

"Oh, how about we make them eat something so disgusting, like a whole 'nother level disgusting?" Jordan said.

"Ooh," Ellie responded, raising her eyebrows to show her interest and it seemed like the others were agreeing with her too.

"Haven't they suffered enough?" I reacted immediately, shushing mouths and directing eyes toward me."I mean, yes, watching them throw up because they ate something disgusting is pretty entertaining but how about we flip it? How about they eat something so good, like god-tier good? Oh wait, maybe they could eat something that they know is the worst but it turns out to be pretty good."

"That's a great idea. Don't you guys agree?" Ellie asked and everyone stated their approval either through words or actions. "Okay then. We'll work with that."

After some scribbling and brainstorming, we decided that we should celebrate the exploratory nature and wonderful discoveries of the Will It? series as it has been one of the many things Good Mythical Morning is known for. Of course, like any usual Will It?, it starts out easy, tolerable and maybe, enjoyable for the duo’s mouth holes. Then, it gradually becomes more disgusting until the dishes’ grossness peaks at the end but, for this episode we don’t want the episode to have a typical gagging and barfing finale. We decided to revisit the very first Will It? which was “Will It Taco?” and bring back Rhett & Link’s gustatory horrors of the sharp and steely taste of their shared food fear: the congealed pork blood, and try to change their perspective about it with the help of the culinary skills of mythical chef Josh.

Of course, other than the pork blood, we also thought of a variety of things that could be interesting to see if it would taco and we ended up with Girl Scout Cookies, pho, sides from Olive Garden and Tequila worms. Josh also thought of making a Birthday Taco as a celebratory dessert for the mythical milestone.

After the silly scripts and taco transmutations were done, they started filming the episode and since this was special and could possibly be one of the most pivotal moments in GMM history, everyone was excited to watch.

“Today, we ask the age-old question, again,” Link started.

“Will It Taco?”

“Let’s taco ‘bout that.”

Four pairs of tacos later, Rhett & Link faced their old enemy and this time, it had some upgrades. It wasn’t just a slab of boiled congealed pork blood in a crunchy taco shell; it was in everything, the tortilla, the filling, the salsa and pickled onions. Josh didn’t let them miss even a tiny bit of the pork blood. He utilized every drop as much as he wanted to and he knew that the duo would swallow it, or even enjoy it even if they had expressed their doubts with the dish.

“Is your assertion that we are going to will this?” Link asked Josh, who was off-camera.

“I think you’re going to will that. I think you’re going to like it,” Josh replied.

“You think?” Link asked, obviously reluctant to try the taco.

“Well, I don’t know what’s in your heart and minds. I know that whatever you don’t eat, I’m gonna eat on the side. I love that taco. I stand by my dish,” Josh stated, dedicated and confident with his craft.

Josh is admirable. _I wish I had his confidence._

The mythical chef wasn’t confident for nothing as the duo was surprised that they thought the pork blood taco was good. Josh succeeded in changing the answer to the age-old question from an obvious no to a surprising yes.

After the wheel of mythicality was spun, it was time for the GMMore and the OG crew members brought their own seats onto the set.

“Other than the OG crew members, I think our newest crew member should also make an appearance. Ula, go grab a seat and come here,” Rhett said, shifting his look from the camera to me.

I excitedly brought a seat and sat beside Jen. I'm finally going to be in an episode.

“Welcome Ula!” Link warmly greeted and I responded with a smile and a shy "Thank you."

“How long have you been working here?” Rhett asked.

“About a month or so.”

“You’re so lucky to have worked this time around because we don’t do any sort of hazing anymore,” Rhett said.

“And you also get to taste the Birthday Cake Taco,” Link added as the plate of the sprinkled sweet treat was put in front of him. Rhett lit the adorable tiny candles with a kitchen torch and passed the plate around. There weren't enough tacos so some had to share one and I had to share with Jen. 

Jesus, this looks like a diabetic unicorn that likes to steal sugar and once it was caught, its punishment was to be turned into a taco.

Hesitantly, I took a small bite out of it and the overwhelming amount of sugar assaulted my mouth. Oh my flavors!

As the sweetness subsided, I gave some affirming nods and told Josh that it was good. The others seemed to like it but I'm not really fond of sweets.

The More was mostly about the first GMMore appearances of the OG crew members and what disgusting food they were forced to eat in front of the camera.

“Sorry if we’re making you feel out of place, Ula,” Chase said as he noticed that I was just quietly listening and reacting to their conversation.

“It’s okay, Chase. I understand what you guys are talking about.”

“Oh yeah. You watch the show,” Jen remembered.

“Really?” Rhett reacted as he set the plate of the bitten Birthday Taco on the wooden table.

“Yeah.”

“For how long?” Link asked.

“Well, I’ve been watching since Season 5 so I think like, 5 or 6 years. Coincidentally, Season 5 is when the Will It? Series started,” I explained and received some nods here and there as response.

“And now, you’re part of the show,” Link said.

“Yeah,” I replied casually but what was really going in my brain was, _"It’s hella crazy and unbelievable that I’m a mythical crew member and I can engage in casual conversation with my idols."_

“Also, she basically thought of the main idea for this episode,” Kevin pointed out.

“Really? You like changing the GMM history, huh?” Rhett asked.

“I guess so.”

A few more minutes of reminiscing and the filming was finished. When I was returning my seat to where I found it, Josh approached me and said, "You know, making Rhett & Link like a food that they hate is a great idea."

"Well, I don't think anyone could've pulled it off like you did. You're talented, man,"I complimented Josh.

"Thanks. You too."

"Why don't we make a that a thing?" Kevin joined in the conversation.

"Yeah. Use Josh's skills to the fullest," Chase added.

"Well, we should build it up more and then we can talk to Rhett & Link about it," I suggested and everyone agreed.

_I can't believe that they liked my idea so much!_

When the day was nearing its end, Rhett & Link decided to enliven their mythical mantra of taking a moment to celebrate and appreciate what you’ve created.

”Guys, it’s a special day so dinner’s on us!” Rhett announced, infusing the office with elation. A few minutes later, the office was empty but the elation along with excitement kept growing and growing as the duo wouldn’t tell where they’d treat us. 

Not all of the mythical crew members had their own vehicle and had to carpool. In my car, Ellie was beside me and Christine and Emily sat on the back. 

As I started the engine, I put my [Night Drive playlist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zfyc-Kn1K0&list=PLf8BvsRg7kWSpnu9KfT7BJgnF3mZpUrJR) on shuffle on my phone that was connected to the car speakers via Bluetooth. I kept it a volume that was soft enough for us to understand each other but loud enough for us to vibe with it. As I began driving, we immediately had some conversations that were mostly about me.

“So Ula,” Ellie said.

“Yeah?”

“You’ve been working with us for like a month but we still don’t know you that well. So...”

“You guys want a Q&A?” I asked.

“Yeah!” the girls replied excitedly.

“Okay then. Ask away.”

“Well, let’s start by introducing yourself like you’re a guest in Ear Biscuits,” Ellie suggested.

“I’m Ula Sylvan Alexander, I’m an only child and my initials spell my home country,” I stopped momentarily, giving them time to get what I said.

“Oh yeah, USA,” Christine realized.

“So you’re like lowkey patriotic just because of your name,” Emily said.

“Unless I change it but no, I like my name. It’s unusual and speaking of my name, my second name, Sylvan, that’s where I was born. Well, it’s actually just Sylva, like Sylva, North Carolina but my parents added an ‘n’ because they’re hipsters,” I explained and received some chuckles.

“Oh, so you grew up where Rhett & Link did,” Emily said.

“Well, we grew up in the same state but still quite far away. Sylva is on the western part of North Carolina while Buies Creek is on the eastern part.”

“But still, you could’ve encountered Rhett & Link.”

“Well, yeah but sadly, I didn’t. Anyways, my parents added an ‘n’ to my second name to add another meaning to it and now my name isn’t just a town, it also means ‘relating to forests and wood’,” I enlightened them further.

“That’s cool,” Ellie complimented and I gave it a casual “Thanks.”

“And also, I know that you think I was joking when I said my parents were hipsters but I wasn’t.”

“What?” Christine exclaimed.

“Yeah. Right now, they aren’t acting like hipsters anymore but in the times of their youth, they are without a doubt, hipsters. They weren’t indifferent to the mainstream, no, they despised it and because they weren’t really liking the music that they were hearing, they made their own. They started a band with their friends when they were in high school called Alter the Native. My dad was on the guitar and my mom was on the vocals and keys.”

“What type of music did they play?” Emily asked.

“I don’t really know but it definitely ain’t country or folk which was the predominant genre in North Carolina. But, considering the artists they listen to, probably more on the experimental new wave side.”

“Your parents seem super cool,” Ellie reacted.

“They are. It’s because of them I’m named after forests, and I listen to indie and alternative music.”

“But, the stuff you’re playing right now aren’t really the type of stuff hipsters would listen to,” Christine noticed.

“Well, of course I wouldn’t play hipster music for you guys. You wouldn’t enjoy the music as much. Plus, I’m not a full-on hipster and I still find myself liking a few mainstream tracks.”

“So what are your parents doing now?” Emily asked.

“Well, let me get back to their story. Of course, the band didn’t last long when they all went to college but they still had a passion for music. They did everything to persuade their parents to let them take music in college and they succeeded. My mom took Piano and my dad took Music Production and while they studied, their romance bloomed and they performed their electropop projects under the name of Idle Title. Now, they’re still musicians, with my mom teaching piano and my dad producing music.”

“Wow. That sounds like a Wikipedia page for a well-known artist,” Christine said and it made me giggle.

“Okay. Enough of your parents. Let’s talk more about you now and get the juicy stuff,” Emily said, changing the topic.

“Ooh, the juicy stuff,” Christine reacted, showing her interest.

“Sure. Put me in the juicer.”

“So, you’ve been a mythical beast before I even became part of the crew. So, tell me, Ula, in all honesty, have you developed a crush on Rhett & Link?”

**Oh boy.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Night Drive playlist goes on to the next chapter until they have arrived to the restaurant :)


	3. Xylophilia

“Well...”

“It’s just a simple yes or no question,” Christine said.

_ Fine then. It’s who I am. There’s nothing wrong with it, right? _

“Yes. I do have a crush on them,” I confessed, owning what I said and made them react like gossiping middle schoolers.

“Okay so do you like them equally?” Emily asked an even more interesting question.

“Well... yeah,” I said with a trace of reluctance.

“You hesitated for a bit. You like one more than the other, do you?” Emily followed up, really wanting to juice every pulp of intriguing information about me.

_ Holy crap, I’ve been found out. _

“Well... Oh it seems like we’re here now,” I changed the topic, focused on entering the verdant parking lot, parked beside Rhett’s car and stopped the engine. As I was exiting the car, Emily pulled me back to my seat and said, “Answer my question first.”

_ Dang, this girl is persistent. _

“You can only ask me juicy questions and I can only answer them while traveling, okay?” I established my own rules since I’m the driver and they’re just there for a ride.

“But. Just please answer it. Please!” the girls begged.

“Nope. Those are my rules and if you wanna ride, you have to respect them..”

“Alright, fair enough,” Emily gave up and exited the car almost the same time as me.

“You’re gonna kill us with suspense!”Ellie said as she closed the car door.

“You’ll forget about it while we’re celebrating.”

“Hey Sylvan. You didn’t tell us that you own a restaurant,” Christine joked, looking at the facade of the place, or garden, I forest, I should say.

“Huh. What are the chances?”I said as I admired the wooden sign that had the possessive form of my second name beautifully carved in it and some vines growing around it.

“What do you mean?” Rhett heard us and asked.

“Sylvan’s my second name and because I know what it means, I’m pretty sure that you picked this place,” I said as we walked toward the restaurant’s entrance.

“That’s a cool name,” Link complimented out of the blue.

“Thank you, Link,” I said and beamed.

“Was I too obvious?” Rhett asked, probably thinking that he was being subtle.

“Yup, your xylophilia is showing,” I replied, knowing that Rhett is likely to be aware of the word.

“My what?” Rhett asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he was completely unfamiliar with something he possesses.

_ He knows what sylvan means but not xylophilia? Weird. _

“Xylophilia: the love for wood. I thought that you already knew that or have encountered that word at some point,” I stated but then I realized that I may have come off as condescending. Rhett was about to respond to the waitress that welcomed us but Link talked first and I took it as a chance to apologize.

“Rhett, I’m sorry. I probably sounded pretentious and condescending to you. First, being named Sylvan and then just blurting xylophilia so casually.”

“No, it’s okay. I actually find it interesting to learn these things,” Rhett reassured.

We occupied six tables that had either six or five people in them with Rhett & Link and the OG members occupying two tables and the rest of the crew having the other four. Naturally, I sat with the three gossip girls and the other writers. We didn’t get to sit together in a long table or tables that were positioned beside each other to make a “long table” due to limited space but it didn’t stop us from all together filling Rhett’s wooden wonderland with light-hearted laughter and bubbly banter.

Shortly, the waitress placed a menu on each table.

“Do you have any allergies, intolerances, food you hate...?” Ellie asked me as she flipped through the menu.

“No, I don’t think I have any of those. I’m cool with anything. Just add some greens though. Can’t live without those,” I requested.

“Okay then. How about a caesar salad for an appetizer?”

“Sounds good.”

“Ula, are you in a diet?” Jordan asked.

“No. I just love vegetables. Like I can literally eat salad without any dressing,” I explained.

“Wait, are you secretly a goat?” Jordan joked and had us burst into laughter. I acted like I was pulling a mask off to reveal that I was actually a grazing animal and it made the laughs even more boisterous.

“Guys, tell me if you’re okay with this order,” Ellie caught our attention and made us quiet for a moment. “We’ll have caesar salad and some fish and chips as appetizers. Then, since we’re in very much a hipster place, we have to get something deconstructed so I want us to have deconstructed tacos because of ‘Will It Taco?’ We got lots of toppings to choose from so we can go crazy with it!” We talked about which toppings to get but we ended up agreeing that we should just get all because that makes things easier.

“Also, it’s a Friday night so we should try some hipster beer that will probably be crappy but hey, who knows?”

_ Beer? Hmm, that’s a no for me. _

“El-“ I was cut short when she called the waitress and said our order. I guess I’ll just tell her later.

Our food came out one by one and we consumed them quickly one by one as they were actually delicious.  Rhett's got good taste. Of course, the beers were served and it somehow made me nervous.

“Uhh, Ellie?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t actually drink...” I revealed.

“Oh, you don’t drink beer?”

“No, I mean. I don’t drink alcohol in general,” I clarified.

“Not even wine?”

“I do drink wine but it’s non-alcoholic.”

“Really? Well, just take a sip,” Ellie insisted.

“Yeah. A little sip won’t do any harm,” Emily added.

“I don’t know, guys,” I said in an unwilling tone.

“Come on. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it,” Jordan encouraged.

_ Uh oh. Peer pressure. Or should I say, beer pressure. _

I carefully took a sip and took a few seconds to get acquainted to the taste.

“Whoa. It’s actually quite nice,” I said, delighted.

“See? Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it,” Ellie said with a smirk. 

“Eugh, you like this?” Jordan expressed his disgust after sipping his drink. “You got a pretty weird taste.”

Ellie suddenly announced, “Let’s all raise our glasses for GMM 1500. Cheers!” We all happily clinked our glasses.

After I finished my first ever glass of beer, they kept asking the waitress for a refill. Of course, I was against it but I drank them anyways. A couple of beers later, I started maniacally laughing.

“Why is everything suddenly so funny?”

My surroundings started to blur and suddenly went black.

...

I felt a pair of hands shake my shoulders.

"Ula, wake up," a familiar voice said.

"Wait, what happened?" I groggily asked, stretching my arms until it reached the ceiling of my car and rubbed my eyes to see who was talking to me.

"You had too much beer. But it's not your fault. You got pressured onto doing something you shouldn't have."

"Where are we?" I asked, still very much confused.

"Your apartment."

"How did you get here?"

"Well, as your boss, I should know where you live because you put it in your application but really, I just used the Home address that was set in your car’s Navigation System," Rhett explained, sounding exhausted.

"Oh yeah. Good thinking. How about Ellie, Christine and Emily though?"

"They just rode with the other crew."

"How about your car? This is my car, right?"

"Well, after Link had taken some of the crew that was with him home, he'll fetch me, return to Sylvan’s and go our separate ways with our own cars.”

"Okay. I think I should stop with the questions and get going," I said, carrying my bag as I wobbly exited the car. As I headed towards my apartment door, I lost balance and Rhett quickly caught me. “You okay?” the bearded man asked and I nodded as a response. I reached into the pocket of my bag to find the keys and opened the apartment.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" I said as Rhett followed me inside the messy place."Sorry if it's quite a mess here. Please have a seat while you wait for Link," I tried to make my boss feel at home. 

“Is it okay if I borrow your charger? My phone’s dead.”

“Yeah sure,” I said and handed him the phone charger that was inside my bag. As he charged his phone, I went into my room to supposedly get changed into PJ's but Rhett kept following me.

"Well, I feel like I should keep an eye on you. You're drunk and something might go wrong," Rhett said with a tone of concern.

"Thank you, Rhett. That is sweet of you. But can you be able to keep an eye while I'm doing this?" I said, removing my top halfway to give the giant a hint but his gaze was still fixed toward me.  _Well then, if that's what he wants, then I’ll give it to him. _"Okay then. You should look away but if you really wanna watch, I don’t mind." I completely stripped my top off and turned my back towards him as I unclasped my bra. Even though I can't see him, I felt his eyes following my hands as I peeled my skinny jeans off my legs.  _This is so wrong, but he knew that it was gonna happen so might as well have a little fun._ I bent over as I grabbed my dirty clothes on the floor and gave him a good look on my ass. I threw my clothes on the laundry basket beside my closet and wore my pajamas that I placed on the bed earlier. 

“You seriously watched me the whole time?” I asked, acting like I was unaware of where Rhett was looking earlier.

”Again, I did it for you. You almost fell earlier, remember? It might’ve happened again or you might hit your head onto something,” the giant justified.

”But none of that happened.”

A few seconds of awkward silence invaded the room but Rhett broke it by asking, “Uh, can I use the bathroom?”

”Sure, it’s this way,” I guided him.

As soon as he closed the bathroom door, a realization struck me.

_ I just stripped in front of Rhett James McLaughlin. I’m in big trouble. _

I decided to take my mind off of it and drank a tall glass of cold water. I sat on the couch and scrolled through social media to distract myself even more. I heard a car from outside and shortly, some knocks on the door.

”Hi, Link,” I greeted as I opened the door. 

“Hey, Ula. You okay now?” Link asked with hint of concern in his voice.

”No. I’m still far from okay but I can handle it,” I replied.

”Where’s Rhett?” he asked, scanning the apartment to look for the taller man.

”Oh, he’s in the bathroom. You can have a seat while-” I stopped my words as soon as I heard the bathroom door open. “Oh, nevermind. Rhett, Link’s here,” I said and made way for the giant to exit the apartment after he unplugged his phone.

“Rhett, thank you for making sure that nothing wrong happened to me. And guys, thank you for the dinner, it was great and I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.” “It’s okay. We understand,” Link said and flashed a weak smile. “Well, we’ll see you on Monday. Take care of yourself, alright?” Rhett advised. “I will.” 

As they walked toward Link’s car that was parked beside mine, I shouted, “Take care! Drive safe!” As soon as they entered the car, I locked my apartment and surfed the internet for a few minutes before heading towards the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. After rinsing, wiping my face with a towel and putting on some night cream, I saw a brown leather wallet on the floor.  Must be Rhett’s.  I picked it up and headed for the door but stopped for a second. They have probably left by now.  I started walking back to the bedroom but I still felt like they were still here, so I ran out so that I could catch them but my body froze in shock. 

They were still there and they were in the backseat doing something that I never thought I’d see them doing. Even if there were only strands of light that shone on them, it was already enough for me to know what was going on.

_ Holy shit, I must be dreaming. _

I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking that it’s all just in my head but when I opened them, nothing changed.

_ Oh. _

_ My. _

_ God. _

_ No. _

_ Fucking. _

_ Way. _

_ Is Link really giving Rhett a...? _

I panicked and bolted back to my apartment when I suddenly tripped over and the wallet flew from my hands, hitting a garbage can. I immediately looked at them to see if they heard the noise.

_ Shit. They heard it. _

I quickly got up from the concrete floor and was about head back inside but it was too late as I heard tires screeching my way. I hurriedly grabbed Rhett’s wallet and chased them as I shouted “Wait!” Link abruptly stopped the car and rolled the windows down.

_ Holy shit, is that what I think it is on Link's lips? _

He then snatched the wallet from my hands and just drove off. I headed back inside and hastily locked my apartment once again. I suddenly felt pain on my arm and remembered that the concrete had scraped it when I fell. I took care of it with my first aid kit that was on my bedside drawer, turned off the lights and slid into my blankets. I just laid there, thinking, 

** What the actual fuck? **


	4. Xylophilia: Through Rhett’s Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the chapter title suggests, it is a retelling of the previous chapter but in Rhett’s POV.

I was having a good time, conversing with the mythical crew members that have worked with us for a relatively long time but I was getting concerned for our new employee. I saw her refuse beer but she was under pressure so she still took a sip.

_ Oh, she liked it. Good for her. _

“Rhett. Rhett! What are you looking at, man?” Link asked.

“It’s just nothing,” I shrugged.

Several minutes of conversation went on and on but I still couldn’t keep my eyes off her. 

_ Oh no, she’s had too much! _

“Rhett. Rhett! Is something wrong?” Link asked with a tone of worry.

“No, man. Everything’s okay.”

“Well, the waitress is asking if you want some dessert.”

“Yeah yeah. Let’s have some,” I said and skimmed through the menu that Link handed me. “Blueberry cheesecake...Brownie ala mode...Ooh, homemade gelato .”  Everyone on the table also expressed their interest with it. “What flavor do you guys want?” I asked and recited all the available flavors. 

“They all sound delicious,” Jen said. 

“Well, I could give you a sampler of all the flavors so that you’d know which to order,” the waitress suggested.

“That would be great, miss. Also, give some to the other tables,” I requested and the waitress responded with a courteous nod.

An loud cackle suddenly broke out and it made us turn our heads to where it was coming from.

“Why is everything suddenly so funny?” Ula said, totally drunk. Then, she passed out on the table and startled the other writers.

“Uh oh,” Emily said. “She’s out, guys.”

“I think we made her drink too much. Well, you haven’t experienced life yet if you haven’t been drunk at least once,” Ellie said.

I stared at her motionless form . _Poor Ula. She didn’t deserve this._ I stood up from my seat to check on her.

“Oh hi Rhett,” Ellie greeted so casually that it annoyed me a little bit.

“What did you do to her?” I said, expressing my worry about our new employee.

“Relax, Rhett. She’ll be fine.” Her nonchalance slowly started getting on my nerves so I took a deep breath and said, “So who’s gonna drive for you now?” Ellie became silent and realized that she shouldn’t have done what she did. 

“We all can-“ 

“No, you can’t. You’re intoxicated.”

The waitress broke the tension as she placed the gelato sampler on their table.

“Oh, there’s our gelato,” Ellie said, shifting her focus on the dessert.

“Uh, miss,” I called the waitress.

“Yes, sir?” the waitress responded.

“Can you please put the gelatos in paper cups so that they could take it outside if they want to?”

“Sure thing, sir.”

After the waitress left, I got back to Ellie and said, “I’ll drive her home.”

“Why do you care so much about her?” Ellie exclaimed.

“She’s part of the Mythical family now and you should take care of family,” I explained, emphasizing the latter part that Ellie had failed to do. 

“Okay then. Here’s her bag.”

“Just place it beside her. I’ll get it later,” I said and went back to my seat.

“Oh, we ate all of the sampler Rhett. Sorry,” Stevie apologized.

“It’s okay. I’m not gonna eat any anyway. So, have you decided with your flavors?”

“Yeah. We already ordered,” Stevie replied.

“Rhett, can I talk to you for a sec?” Link asked.

“Sure,” I replied and followed him to the parking lot.

“What was that about?” Link asked, pertaining to my short feud with Ellie.

“I just thought that what she did was wrong and I was really worried about Ula,” I explained.

“So you are worried about her too.”

“If you were also worried, then why didn’t you do anything?”

“Because I know that you’d act first.”

_ He’s right. _

“So, you gonna take her home, Rhett?”

“Yeah. I’ll be using her car.”

“What about yours?”

“You could just fetch me from her place, go back here and then we go home with our cars.”

“Sounds like you’ve planned this ahead.”

_ I’ve planned it as soon as she passed out. _

As we went inside, we saw that everyone was already enjoying their dairy delights. I asked the waitress for the bill and I split it with my best friend. Link headed back to the table and ate gelato along with the crew while I strode to the writer’s table to get Ula and her things. 

“Well, help me, will you?” I said, making the Ellie stand from her seat and help me carry the idle girl. 

“Rhett, you going already?” Chase asked.

“Yeah. I just can’t leave her laying on the table like that,” I explained.

“Well, be safe then.”

As Ellie and I reached Ula’s car, I opened it with her car’s remote. I opened the backseat and we carefully laid her there. 

“You know. She’s actually a really cool and nice person. I shouldn’t have pushed her,” Ellie expressed her regret.

“And you shouldn’t do it again,” I told her and she walked back to the restaurant. I started the engine and reached for my phone in my pocket. It's a good things that Link and I decided to keep some basic details about our employees with our phones because we thought that it’d be useful. I pressed the lock button but the screen stayed black. I pressed it again and it displayed the graphic that meant that my phone needs to be charged.

_ Well, that’s convenient. Come on Rhett. Think. _

I tapped on the navigation system and luckily, there’s a set route for her home address.

“Head home?” a female voice asked and I pressed yes. 

As I started to drive, I was startled as [pop music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCXGJQYZ9JA&list=PLf8BvsRg7kWSpnu9KfT7BJgnF3mZpUrJR&index=2) started blasting from the speakers. I knew that it wasn’t from the radio, so it must be from Ula’s phone. I find myself bobbing my head to the music while listening for directions. From time to time, I glanced at her through the rear view mirror to see if anything has happened to her. 

Several minutes later, I’ve finally reached my destination.

“Ula. Ula, wake up,” I attempted to wake her but it didn’t work so I got up and shook her gently. When she still wasn’t responding, I shook her vigorously until she moved.

"Wait, what happened?" she groggily asked and stretched her arms.

"You had too much beer. But it's not your fault. You got pressured onto doing something you shouldn't have."

"Where are we?"

"Your apartment."

"How did you get here?" she asked, clearly confused with everything that was happening.

"Well, as your boss, I should know where you live because you put it in your application but really, I just used the Home address that was set in your car’s navigation system.”

"Oh yeah. Good thinking. How about Ellie, Christine and Emily though?"

_ She still thought about them even though they’re the reason she blacked out. _

"They just rode with the other crew."

"How about your car? This is my car, right?"

_ For a drunk person, her questions still make a lotta sense. _

"Well, after Link had taken some of the crew that was with him home, he'll fetch me, return to Sylvan’s and go our separate ways with our own cars.”

"Okay. I think I should stop with the questions and get going.” I followed her as she headed towards my apartment door. She suddenly lost her balance and I swiftly caught her. “You okay,” I asked her and she weakly nodded. She opened her apartment and said, "Welcome to my humble abode! Sorry if it's quite a mess here. Please have a seat while you wait for Link.” I noticed that her apartment was small but I guess it’s enough for just one person. I sat on the couch and felt my phone in my back pocket.

_ Oh yeah. I need to charge it. _

“Is it okay if I borrow your charger? My phone’s dead.”

“Yeah sure.”

I grabbed the charger and plugged my phone on an outlet that I saw in her living room. After that, I felt this strange need to watch over her and followed her to her room. She gave me a puzzled look so I said, "Well, I feel like I should keep an eye on you. You're drunk and something might go wrong.”

"Thank you, Rhett. That is sweet of you. But can you be able to keep an eye while I'm doing this?" she said, lifting her top a little bit. 

_ I don’t mind to be honest. _

"Okay then. You should look away but if you really wanna watch, I don’t mind." She stripped her top off and turned her back on me. She then unhooked her bra and I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.

_Hold on, is she gonna go full naked ?_

She proceeded to show more of her skin as she slowly removed her jeans. I knew that at this point, I should be looking away but I felt as I was mesmerized with every inch of her that she was revealing.

_ You’re not supposed to be doing this, Rhett. This is wrong! _

When I thought I could finally breathe, she decided to grab her clothes from the floor, pointing her ass toward me.

_Look away, Rhett. Look away!_ But still, I stared until she clad herself.

“You seriously watched me the whole time?” she asked in disbelief.

”Again, I did it for you. You almost fell earlier, remember? It might’ve happened again or you might hit your head onto something,” I hastily reasoned.

”But none of that happened.”

After a few seconds of awkward silence, I knew I had to deal with my growing discomfort before she notices it so I asked her, “Uh, can I use the bathroom?”

”Sure, it’s this way,” she said and guided me to where it was.

As soon as I closed the bathroom door, I breathed deeply and freed my erection.

_ Great job, Rhett. Your employee told you to look away but you didn’t and now you’re hard. What are you gonna do now? Jerk real quick? Nah, you can’t do that in her bathroom! But, is there any other way? _

After some internalization, I zipped my pants back, washed my face and wiped the wetness off. I looked at myself in the mirror for a moment before walking out the bathroom and hearing Ula talk to someone.

“Oh, nevermind. Rhett, Link’s here.” I unplugged my phone and headed out her apartment. 

“Rhett, thank you for making sure that nothing wrong happened to me. And guys, thank you for the dinner, it was great and I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.” “It’s okay. We understand,” Link said and flashed a weak smile. “Well, we’ll see you on Monday. Take care of yourself, alright?” I said, showing my care for her. “I will.” 

As we walked toward Link’s car, I heard Ula shout, “Take care! Drive safe!” We entered the vehicle quietly and didn’t speak a single word for a few moments until Link asked, “What happened in there,Rhett?”

“N-nothing out of the ordinary,” I stuttered, revealing to my best friend that something _did_ happen.

“Oh really? Well, your pants don’t seem to agree with what you’re saying,” he said, irritated by my lies.

“Okay, something _did_ happen. I wanted to keep an eye on Ula because something might happen to her and that led to me having to..,” I paused for a little bit.

“Having to watch her change clothes.”

“So you saw her naked and that’s what caused that. And you didn’t look away?” Link asked in disappointment. 

“She told me that I should look away but she didn’t mind if I watched her,” I explained.

“So you _did_ have a choice! Why didn’t you just look away? And why did you feel the need to lie about something that’s pretty obvious,” Link screamed at me.

“Pretty obvious?” I cluelessly asked.

“Yes. It’s pretty obvious that you like her!” 

_ What? _

“No, I was just genuinely worried-“

“Oh cut the clean act, Rhett. Through our many years of friendship, I’ve witnessed your obsession with girls so I know it when you like a girl.”

I just kept my head down in embarrassment. _Well, maybe I do like her._

“Why’d you do that? Why’d you lie to me? It makes me feel like you don’t love me anymore,” Link said, his voice cracking at the end of his sentence. 

“No, Link. I just don’t want things to get messy, especially with our employee. I’m sorry I lied to you. I love you and I always will,” I told my best friend sweetly as I touched his face and gave him a quick kiss.

“Alright, I forgive you but no more secrets, okay?” I nodded and pressed my lips against his once again but this time, it wasn't quick. It didn’t take long for our tongues to explore each other’s mouths. Link pulled himself from the kiss and said, “Let me help you deal with that.” He was about to unzip my pants when I said, “Right here, right now? Someone might see us.” 

“It’s pretty dark here but if you’re still worried that we’ll be seen, I’ll do it fast,” Link convincingly said.

“Okay then. Why don’t we take this to the backseat for more space?” Link nodded and we both hastily got into the back of his car. He quickly undid my pants and teased the tip of my erection with his thumb. 

“Ohh,” I moaned.

He gave me a seductive smirk before taking in all of me with his mouth. I felt his tongue playfully swirl up and down and all around my cock. “That feels so good.”

Then, his pace got faster and faster and a buzz of additional pleasure hits me every time the head hit his throat. Shortly, I felt something deep within me that was welling and aching to be freed.

“Link, I’m close,” I breathily said.

Suddenly, I heard some noise from outside and it shook me off shortly from the lust I was in.

“What was that noise? I think someone’s here, Link.” But he still kept going and going and I found myself on the precipice.

“Link... Fuck!” I loudly groaned as I released in my best friend’s mouth. He swallowed every single drop of me, seemingly enjoying the taste. 

“You heard it, right?” I asked nervously. 

“Yeah, it’s probably just a cat,” he said nonchalantly but I knew he was wrong as I saw a figure that stood up from the ground.

“That’s no cat.” Link turned to where I was looking and exclaimed, “Shit.”

We hurriedly returned to the front of his car. Link was carelessly and quickly getting us out of there when we saw Ula chasing us. 

“What does she want?” Link shouted,

I looked at the side mirror to see that she was holding up my wallet.

“Wait, that’s my wallet. Stop the car,” I said and Link immediately hit the brakes. As he grabbed my wallet from Ula, I studied her expression to know if she really did see us earlier. Then, Link rolled the windows back again and drove away. 

“D’you think she saw us?” 

“Of course, she did! Did you see that look on her face? She was in shock!” I shouted and rested my back on the car seat, staring at the city lights.

“Well, don’t worry. We’ll do something about her,” Link reassured, clasping my left hand with his right.

** We have to do something about her. **


	5. Trouble

I woke up, still on the same position I was when I fell asleep which is a rare occurrence. I looked at my digital alarm clock and saw that it was 9:37 am. I sat up and felt the surge of a hellish headache but as painful as it was, it wasn’t my main concern. As I held my aching head, I was petrified as the events from last night flashed in my mind.

_ Did that really happen? _

_ Maybe I got so drunk that I started seeing things.  _

_ That must be it. _

_ Right? _

I slid from my bed and suddenly had an overwhelming urge to take a leak so I rushed to the bathroom.

_ Damn, I drank a freaking ocean. _

Then, I grabbed my bluetooth speaker, my phone and a towel to jam with some tunes as I take a cold shower. I let the water wash out all the twists and turns of yesterday and sang, even harmonized, at the top of my lungs. Even after I’ve worn my clothes and dried my hair, I still continued my concert until I heard knocks on the door and a female voice that called my name. I stopped the music and opened the door to see not one, but three girls.

“Oh hi, gossip girls. What are you doing here?”

“Hi Ula. We just came to check if you’re okay,” Emily said.

“Also, we’ve brought you some stuff that can help you with your hangover,” Christine said as she handed me a plastic bag.

“Oh thanks. This was very nice of you.”

“Also, we’re sorry for pressuring you to drink last night,” Ellie apologized.

“It’s okay. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t have known that I liked hipster beer.”

“But, it’s because of us that you feel like shit right now.”

“Yeah, I do feel like shit. But at least I know how it feels like. Why don’t you guys come in?” 

The three girls comfortably plopped down the sofa.

“So do you guys want anything? Water? Tea?”

“No, we’re good. And why are you the ones taking care of us? You’re the one we should be taking care of now.”

_ Ellie does have a point. _

“Come sit down with us and check the stuff we got you.”

I sat beside the girls and brought out the items one by one while they explained why they got me those things.

“Those are for your headache, those will help you get rehydrated and those will make you feel a little less tired,” Christine explained.

“And what is this?” I asked, bringing out a cold white paper bowl that had a plastic lid and plastic spoon taped to its side.

“Oh, that’s gelato. Yesterday, after you passed out, we all had gelatos and Rhett didn’t want to leave anyone out,” Ellie explained.

“It looks like he just bought it earlier this morning,” Emily observed.

“Oh, wow. I feel like I don’t deserve all this kindness.”

“Apparently, he thinks you do so take it.”

_ See? Rhett is a good man. He wouldn’t cheat on his wife with his best friend.  _

_ Right? _

“What flavor did he get you?” Christine asked.

I removed the plastic lid and scooped swirls of blue and red on white into my mouth.

“I think it’s blueberry and strawberry cheesecake. Very nice,” I said, delighted as it contained just the right amount of sweetness.

_ But maybe he’s being this nice because he’s overcompensating for something.  _

“Well, we’ll let you rest,” Ellie said and stood up from the sofa.

The gossip girls greeted me goodbye and I decided to make myself feel better with the things they bought me. Then, I received a text message.

> Did you get the gelato?
> 
> Sent 10:32 am

He even made sure that I received it. _See? He's a good man._

> I did. It was nice :)
> 
> Sent 10:33 am

I couldn't help but smile as I replied to, I hate how Raine called him but it's actually true, my dream boy.

> Glad you like it. Hope it made you feel better :)
> 
> Sent 10:35 am

These simple texts made my heart flutter. These show that Rhett does care for me.  _ It's as if he was my boyfriend.  _ I fangirled at the thought.

After moments of daydreaming,  I ended up spending the whole day, binge-watching Netflix shows.

...

The next day, I woke up, still having a bit of a headache but nonetheless, better. I did my morning ritual and attended a 7 am mass in a quaint chapel a few blocks away. When I reached the chapel, I scanned through the crowd to find my best friend Raine and I sat beside her. After an hour, the mass was finished and I rode with Raine to have breakfast at our favorite cafe.  It had been our first time meeting since I became a writer in Mythical. 

“So, how’s the crew life?” Raine asked after we've ordered our meals.

“It’s been great, you know, working with such creative people. How’s the event life?”

“Ugh, I’ve been booked all month and it’s stressful as hell especially that most of the events were weddings! I don’t understand why all of a sudden love is in the air this month,” Raine said, rolling her eyes.

“Any bride breakdowns?”

“Oh yeah. There’s this bride who sheds a tear with literally every little problem. Thankfully, she kept her cool during the actual day.”

“Gosh, your work sounds exhausting.”

“It is but I love it.”

She gave a smile, and within her eyes you know that she's passionate about her occupation.

"You celebrated 1500th episode of GMM, right? Tell me all about it," she asked as the waitress served us our coffee.

I gladly told her everything: the conception of the idea, the execution, the interest and possible extension and the celebration.

"Wow, that's great! Why didn't you tell me about that? That calls for a mini celebration," Raine said enthusiastically.

"Well, if my idea becomes an actual segment, I'll tell you and I'll treat you, alright?"

"Alright! So, I was just wondering, if you were so drunk, how'd you get home?" 

"Rhett drove me to my apartment," I replied and she displayed a toothy grin.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I'm glad that your dream boy is treating you so well," she said and sipped her coffee.

"Dream boy? Please don't call him that. And hey, he ain't a boy, he's a man!" I hid my face in embarrassment to both the things that my best friend said and shared a hearty laugh. 

My laughter quickly died down when I remembered the events again.

”Hey, is something wrong?” Raine noticed.

”Oh nothing. Everything’s okay,” I said and forced a wide smile.

”Are you sure? Did something happen?”

I know that she’s my best friend and we never keep secrets from each other but I don’t know if I should share this one.

“Well... I can’t tell you here,” I said softly and cautiously and Raine showed an expression of concern.

”Okay then.”

Shortly, we finished our meals and supposedly, I wanted to split the bill but she insisted on paying it all herself.

Afterwards, we went into her car and she drove me to my apartment without saying a word.

”So. What happened?” she immediately asked.

”Well, I don’t even know if it was actually real. I mean, I was drunk last night,” I reluctantly said.

”Tell me anyways.”

”So Rhett drove me home last night. He also guided me in walking towards the apartment because I was wobbling. So I opened the apartment and I welcomed him there. He borrowed my charger because he said that his phone was dead. Then, I headed to my bedroom to change clothes but Rhett...”

”Rhett what? What did he do to you?” Raine asked with blazing curiosity.

”He followed me to my bedroom and I told him that he shouldn’t be there because I was gonna change clothes. He told me that he just wanted to keep an eye on me in case something bad happens to me. So, I uh...” I stopped short once again.

”You...?” Raine gasped as she realized what I was trying to say. “Don’t tell me you...”

“I changed clothes in front of him,” I said, feeling embarrassed.

”So you got naked in front of him? Oh my god, he’s your boss!” Raine exclaimed.

“I know! But I insisted that he let me do my business alone but he didn’t and that’s why I just did it,” I defended myself.

"You’re into some real trouble, sister.”

"I’ve only been working for a month and I’ve already fucked up! And I’ve always wanted this job and now I might just lose it,” I lamented.

“Don't worry! They really liked your idea for the 1500th episode and I’m sure that they want to work with that,” my best friend reassured me.

"Well, I hope they liked it enough to still keep me," I said, filled with hope.

> "It'll be okay, Ula," she said and gave me a consoling hug that instantly made me feel better. 

"Thanks, bestie. Bye," I said and exited her car.

"Bye! Just tell me what happens, okay?"

I nodded and she immediately left.

_I didn't tell her everything. Maybe it's better if I don't tell her._

I sighed and was about to unlock the apartment when I heard my phone's ringtone. I reached for my phone inside my bag and checked the text I just received.

> Hey, Ula. How are you?
> 
> Sent 9:51 am

It's from Link. 

> I feel a lot better now :)
> 
> Sent 9:52 am

Once again, I couldn't help but smile. _Seems like everyone cares for me lately._

> That's great. Can you meet us? We need to talk.
> 
> Sent 9:52 am

The last four words had my heart racing. _Shit, I'm nervous._

> Where do you want me to meet you?
> 
> Sent 9:53 am

Link then sent me the address for the meeting place. I started my car and let my Navigation system guide me to my destination. My hands were trembling with trepidation as they draped the steering wheel. The droning, mediocre pop music on the radio wasn't helping in calming my nerves either. 

_My phone should automatically be connected and playing my music. Oh well._

The place wasn't that far so I didn't bother changing what was already playing. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the car park of what seems to be a luxurious hotel.

_Well, this is a fancy place to get fired in._

As I walked inside the high-end rendezvous, a courteous man asked me where I was heading and gladly guided me to a restaurant that had a warm ambiance and a minimalistic appeal to it. I scanned all the tables and found the two men I was looking for. From afar, I already admired how handsome they looked even if their clothes weren't all that grand. Rhett was wearing his dark blue shirt that had patterns of flora scattered all over it and it complemented his hair and beard very well. Link was wearing a plain grey shirt buttoned shirt and it was so simple yet it made him look so dashing.

_God, I shouldn't be thinking about them like this. I work for them now! Or maybe I won't anymore._

For every step that I took toward the duo, the pounding of my heart got louder and louder. When our gazes met, I felt my breathing get obstructed little by little. As I sat down with them, I took a deep breath. 

“So, what is it that we need to talk about?” 

“Well... I think you know exactly what we need to talk about,” Link said in an intimidating tone.

“Look, I insisted that Rhett didn’t have to watch me change clothes. I told h-“

“No. That’s not what we need to talk about, Ula. It’s not your fault,” Rhett said.

“Then, what is it?”

“We want it to come from you, Ula.”

“Well, if it was about what you were doing later that night, it wasn’t my fault either,” I said, trying to hide my nervousness.

“Yes, it’s not your fault. But you saw something you weren’t supposed to see, and we must silence who must be silenced,” Link said as his serious eyes was boring a hole at me.

_Holy crap. What are they gonna do to me? _

“Are you guys gonna get rid of me?” I asked, trying to fight my tears.

“You really think we’d do that?” Rhett asked.

“Well, you said that you must silence who must be silenced.”

“I guess Link did make it sound threatening but actually, we have come up with some terms that you must agree on. But we can’t tell you here.”

They both stood up from their seat and started walking.

“Come on, Ula,” Link said.

The elevator ride was silent and what I only heard was my pounding heartbeat.

_I am actually fucking terrified._

We finally reached the floor their room was in. As they searched for their room, they held their hands.

_I guess they’re comfortable in doing that in front of me._

Link tapped the keycard and inserted it in a slot that runs the room’s electricity.

“Sit there,” Link commanded, pointing at the only chair in the room.

As I sat down, they both plopped down the bed, giving me a very intense stare.

“So here are the terms: first, you must not tell anyone about what you saw. This is going to be our secret from now on,” Rhett started.

“Second, since you found out about our relationship, you should be a part of it now.”

“W-wait. What do you mean?”

“Well, have you ever heard of polyamory?” Link asked.

_Is this really happening right now?_

“Hold on. Are you telling me that I must be in a three-way relationship with you guys?”

“Exactly.”

“Whoa whoa whoa. I don’t see the point in adding that. Hell, I don’t even know when all of this started,” I said, not feeling nervous anymore.

“I guess it’s only fair that we tell you about that.”


End file.
